Avatar: The Last Benders  Book 1: Earth
by thelastwritebender
Summary: It's been 900 years since Aang beat Ozai.  Benders are almost extinct thanks to civilizations and the Dark Army. The Dark Army plans to invade the time of Aang with a time machine. Only the new Avatar, Jack, and the last few benders left can stop them.


**Avatar: The Last Benders**

**Book 1: Earth**

**Chapter 1: He Returns (Part 1)**

Many years have passed since Avatar Aang defeated Fire Lord Ozai. Centuries have passed, over nine hundred. It is now much closer to the modern age. Both of the World Wars have occurred, and as history books will say, the country Sylvania won the second war and now rules the majority of the planet with an iron fist. Only the majority of Africa, all of Canada, and parts of the United States are left free from the Sylvania's control. As for why the Avatar doesn't try to stop the Sylvania and their ruler, Lord Teivel, is due to the loss of many benders where there are now less than a handful on the planet, it is rumored that there are less than four, meaning the Avatar could cease to exist or could not learn all of the elements.

Another rumor is that Lord Teivel has a machine that can detect a bender, so long as they're in his territory of the planet, meaning that Sylvania's military, the Dark Army, has captured the Avatar at birth and plans to use his power to destroy all of the opposing forces against him, but many people who are free from the Dark Army disagree with the last rumor, they believe that the Avatar doesn't even know who or what he is. In fact, many people view the Avatar as a myth.

* * *

><p>Over in Washington D.C., the President of the United States, President Johnson, looked out the window, watching the rain fall. "Sir," the Secretary of War said, "I have good news and bad news."<p>

"I want to hear good news for a change," The President said, "What is it?"

"With just a few of our reinforcements from troops in Las Vegas, we'll be able to take the entire south in five days. We're pressing against the Dark Army as we speak."

"I have a feeling I can guess the bad news."

"Yes, Sir," the Secretary said, "If we do this, Las Vegas will fall. As you know, Las Vegas is now the largest civilian area that's in our territory. Should we send the troops?" The President looked outside longer.

"Why isn't he here?"

"Who, Sir?"

"The Avatar?"

"Sir, isn't the Avatar a myth?" The President took his glasses off and looked at the secretary.

"Austin, my son, you have been a loyal combatant in this war, and though many people believe you got the position because of me, I want you to know that they're wrong."

"Sir, we don't have time for this; what are your orders?"

"Please, Austin, for one second, let's drop the business act and talk for a second."

"What?" Austin asked.

"Follow me." The two went out of the Oval Office and into Lincoln's bedroom. There was a mirror in the room and that is where President Johnson and Austin stopped. Austin took a second to compare himself and his father. Both of them were bald with just a little bit of hair on their sides and they were of American Decent, Austin; however, was in his late forties while his father was in his late seventies. Only Austin's father required glasses. "Son, what I am about to show you is top secret. Only the President of the United States knows this information so far."

"What?" Austin asked, curious. President Jerald Johnson then began to push on the mirror and part of the wall began to scoot back. A fraction of the wall soon pushed back and revealed a stair case that led down a fleet of stairs.

"Follow me," Jerald said as his son followed suit. When they reached the bottom, a large room made out of old bricks. It almost seemed like an altar room for Aztec warriors. "Son, this is what I wanted to show you." He pointed to the only object in the room. It was a book, and a very large one at that. "This book, has laid here for hundreds, maybe even thousands of years. There are only two things that can open this book though. A key that is in the Oval Office and the Avatar himself."

"What does the book say?"

"It tells the stories of all the Avatar's that have ever existed; all of their amazing stories and all of their heart ships with their friends are told. Most of the Avatar's lives proved to be fruitful, and they had many enemies to conquer, but the experience to become an Avatar is now more important than ever and yet the pages are becoming more and more blank. There are some Avatar's in recent years who's names are on it and that's it. They don't even know what an Avatar is. This last one is different, though."

"What do you mean?" Austin asked.

"The book knows very little of the Avatar that is living right now. It only says his name, his current location, and that he will be the first Avatar after three incarnations to learn all forms of bending and that he will defeat Lord Teivel."

"What's his name?"

"Jack. Also, you must not send the troops to the south for he lives in Las Vegas. The old abandoned La Bayou casino to be exact."

"But father-."

"I am sorry to say this, my son, but the United States of America will fall to the Dark Army according to this book. It gives some details of settings, allies, and enemies of the Avatar's life before the Avatar faces Lord Teivel."

"When will America fall?"

"Tonight. A large ship from the sky is supposed to come and I quote 'destroy the public symbols of hope for the world."

"Why wouldn't the Avatar be killed, then?"

"He's not a PUBLIC symbol of hope. At least he isn't anymore. You must go my son. Take your daughter, and go to Las Vegas. You must leave with the book."

"Should I take the key?"

"No. Besides the key, only a combination of all four elements or the Avatar himself can open the book. If I give you the key and should you fail to give it to the Avatar, all hope is lost."

"Very well, father."

"Son, the future is in your hands, now," Jerald said, handing him the book.

"What about you?" Austin asked, curious on what would happen to his father.

"The book says that the public symbols of hope will fall tonight."

"No."

"I know for a fact the book said symbols."

"No!"

"You have made me proud my son. Washington D.C. will be destroyed today, and everyone with it. You must save your daughter. I will initiate an evacuation after this meeting. Now go."

"Father."

"GO!" Jerald yelled as he pushed his son out of the room with the book in his hands.

Austin, knowing he could not change his father's mind, left to go back home. Austin now only had one objective: to go home and take his daughter with him to escape Washington's fate. Getting into his car, Austin quickly drove home to see his daughter, Erin.

* * *

><p>Erin was a thirteen year old girl with black hair down to her shoulders and blue eyes. She also seemed very strong, despite only getting average exercise. Even though she looked a few years older also, she wasn't a very confident child seeing how her mother died in child birth and her father always went away on business trips. Erin at the moment was sitting on the couch watching the news on the war. Luckily, at the moment, the Dark Army was in full retreat in the south. Not only that, but Cuba was also hosting a rebellion by stealing the Dark Army's equipment and making it their own.<p>

Suddenly Austin ran into his house, which startled Erin. "You scared me, dad."

"Erin, we need to go."

"What? Why? I thought you were going to Las Vegas to redirect the troops."

"There's been a change in plans. We're both going to Las Vegas. Get anything that you find valuable. We won't be coming back."

"Dad? What's going on?"

"Nowhere is safe anymore, Erin, except for Las Vegas. You might think I'm going crazy, but according to the book I am holding, Washington D.C. will be destroyed today."

"What?"

"And the Avatar has been found."

"The Avatar? I'm not going."

"Erin, he doesn't even know he's the Avatar, and even then, he might be able to help you with your -."

"NO! I'M STAYING!"

"You're coming and you don't have a choice. Did you not hear me? Washington D.C. of the United States of America is to be destroyed today."

"And what if you're wrong and there is no Avatar and there is no Destruction of Washington?"

"I don't know, but tell me this; what if we stay, and your wrong." Erin was quiet for a moment lost in thought. _"Why should I leave?"_ Erin asked, _"He wants me to leave everything I know and the ma barely knows me. His own daughter."_ Erin looked at his father again. _"Then again, he came to get me. He knows more about this nation than I could ever imagine. Plus, he's my dad and in the end, he loves me and he'll protect me."_ Erin turned around to the hall where her room was and then turned back to her father. He even seemed different. He had no technology on him and his clothes seemed dirty. His pants were even ripped apart. "Let me get a few things and I'll be ready to go."

Erin went to her room and changed clothes. She was now wearing a white tank top, jeans, and tennis shoes. She then put her hair in a ponytail. She also had a necklace from her mother that had been passed on for generations. The necklace seemed to be made of a rare material and had an arrow on it. Turning to her drawer, she took her cell phone and a picture of her mother. When she came back out, she saw her father in a much more casual outfit. "What about everyone else in the city?" Erin asked.

"The President is ordering the army to evacuate everyone as we speak. All your friends will get out of the city in time."

"What about Papaw?" Erin asked. Austin, with a grim look on his face, said nothing. Erin then began to cry.

"The only way we can avenge him is if we find the Avatar. Now come on Erin, I don't know what time exactly Washington D.C. is to be attacked." Getting into their car, Austin drove out of Washington D.C. only an hour before the invasion began and got into his personal airplane.

* * *

><p>Jerald sat in his office still looking out his window. He told everyone in the office what he was going to do, giving his guards a choice to stay or leave. Only seven of them stayed. "I'd like to thank you men for your bravery, but may I ask, do you any of you have a family?" Only one raised their hand. "Leave. Go be with them. Do not be a fool like me and rely on an ancient relic. Be with your family. They need you. None of us will see you any different." The guard shed a tear under his sunglasses and said one word before leaving, "Thank you."<p>

Another hour passed. It was now visible to see how Washington D.C. would be destroyed. A giant warship five times that of the White House was seen. Jerald closed his eyes. "I have put my faith almost blindly in you, Avatar," Jerald said as the middle of the warship began to lighten up revealing a large white circle. "Please do not fail us; free this world once more before even Great Britain was formed." The white circle began to buzz. "Avatar Jack, I thank you in advance. Save this planet. Save us." The white light then came down and soon all of Washington D.C. was covered in it. When the light disappeared, nothing was left of what was once Washington D.C., not even the ship that was there moments ago.

* * *

><p>Not far from Las Vegas, the Dark Army was waiting to invade. Of all the armies in the past, this one was the most feared and yet the most pitied on. Half of the soldiers were mindless robots, while the other half were normal humans. The humans normally fought against their will, but threats against their families or mind control steered them to obedience. The common foot soldier was often in armor that made them swift and agile while their helmets were closer to robotic masks. The humans could only see out of one eye as instead of two as the slits were vertical instead of horizontal. Commanders, which were more likely to be humans devoted to Sylvania, had much heavier armor and a genuine helmet resembling those of Stormtroopers from Star Wars. Their color code was all black armor with red slits on the eyes, and a red insignia of a skull with cross bones in the middle.<p>

There were also many who were enlisted in the Dark Army at a young age. One of the youngest was a thirteen year old named Axel. Though no one in the Dark Army knew it, Chris was more fit than anyone in his battalion, equaling that to an average full grown commander. He had brown hair, brown eyes, and was a dark tan. Another fact about Axel that no one knew about was that he was also a waterbender. Though he never had tried to bend water himself, his Uncle sacrificed his spirit to the other world to hide Axel from all machines that detected a bender. He was hoping that today would be the day he could finally escape the Dark Army and join the resistance in Las Vegas.

"Alright men," Commander Phuex said, "If we play our part right, America will fall in three days. After we are done here; we must go and aid our troops at the Texas pass. If we close that, all we'll have is the south left to deal with. The south, gentlemen, is the most important area on this continent at the moment. Lord Teivel himself announced the reason the south must be recaptured is due to the most important weapon we have at our disposal. Believe it or not, it is a time machine and once we have the time machine in our possession, we will be unstoppable."

"Sir?" one of the soldiers asked.

"Yes?"

"The super weapon that destroyed Washington D.C., as I'm sure you've heard has been destroyed. Though this was not intentional, why didn't we blow up Las Vegas instead? I would have figured that D.C. would have documents on the war."

"Excellent question," Phuex said, "The south is to important, we have men fighting in Canada, Africa is to remote of a location for a demonstration, and we believe the time machine's power source is located here."

"What the power source, Sir?"

"The current Avatar." Axel now knew he had to escape in Las Vegas then and now. The troops were now ready. The raid was about to begin.

* * *

><p>Las Vegas now had two big parts in the city. On one side of the strip, casinos became homes while on the other side, casinos were still casinos. Ever since the United States was invaded half a decade ago, many of America's rules began slipping. Including the gambling age limit. Jack, one of the best gamblers, was looking at everyone else. "Alright," Jack said, "I'll raise you gents twelve dollars." The five other players looked at each other and four of them laid their cards down.<p>

"Twelve dollars?" Herro, one of the other best gamblers who was about the same age as Jack, said, "That's a steep price, even for you. Are you sure you want to do that?"

"I'm pretty sure," Jack said sarcastically. Jack had his poker face on. Jack had black hair and brown eyes. He always wore a green shirt and he also had on a pair of emerald shorts. "But are you?" Herro's heartbeat was getting faster; Jack could tell. He soon saw sweat going down his opponent's face. Herro threw his cards down.

"You beat me at the last game I could possibly win at," Herro said.

"Sorry to hear that," Jack said in a mocking tone, "So that's it? I wanted a challenge." Jack jumped onto the table. "Come on! Isn't there anyone that can beat me?" Jack then heard a scream from the other side of the street. Looking outside, he saw a man out there, walking back and forth. "Can I help you?" Jack asked to the paranoid man.

"They're coming," he said.

"Who?"

"The Dark Army. My cousin says that they're only twenty miles away."

"What?"

"Run, kid, run. I hear the only reason they aren't taking the city out is because the Avatar lives here." Jack's eyes suddenly widened out of realization. _"My sister,"_ Jack thought, _"They found out she was an Earthbender, but she's more than that. She must the Avatar."_ Jack than ran across the street into his house. It was mainly his house after his parents left to go to the other world. Most of the people that lived in the same casino Jack and her brother, Tess, took care of each other, but now the two of them would have to be on their own.

Flying into the room, he saw Tess, lying on the floor. "Tess, get up. We're leaving." Tess, at age twelve, looked at her four year older brother, looked at him and then laid back down.

"Why?" she said, "Nothing bad's happening and you won the gambling match right?"

"Well, Tess, I'm glad you have faith in my abilities, and yes, I was the victor in that easy match," Jack said in a gloating fashion. His mood then changed. "But we have to get you out of here now!"

"Why? What's going on?"

"The Dark Army is coming. They think the Avatar is here."

"The Avatar? Isn't the Avatar a myth?"

"Are you?" Jack asked. There was a moment of silence until Tess got up and started running around the room. "Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap. What's going to happen to me?"

"I know one thing for sure. No one is taking you away. I'm not losing you like I lost mom or dad."

"I miss them," Tess said, which was uncharacteristic to her tomboyish I feel invincible nature.

"Me too, but there is nothing we can do now except go on without them. Take everything that's important to you and we leave in five minutes." There was a knock on the door. Jack glared at the door and tuned to his sister. With just a look in the eye, she knew he was telling her to hide. Sneaking to get a gun from under the bed, Jack tiptoed to the door. "Come in," he whispered in his best attempt of a girly voice.

"I see your gun," a voice said.

"How?"

"There's a hole in your wall."

"Oh. Well you still can't come in."

"Please. I'm from the Oval Office. I'm the Secretary of War. I'm the President's son. Please let me in."

"It sounds convincing, but how do I know you're not just lying?"

"Have I not shot down this door and killed you yet? I can assure you that's what any Dark Soldier would do."

"Good point." Jack opened the door to reveal Austin and Erin Jackson. Austin was still carrying the book. "What do you want?" Jack asked in a serious tone again.

"You."

"Why me?"

"Because, you're the Avatar."

"What?" Jack and Tess asked simultaneously. Austin was startled at Tess jumping up. "It's ok, she's my sister, and what do you mean I'm the next Avatar? I can't even bend. My sister is an Earthbender, though." Tess then punched Jack as hard as she could.

"Wait to tell the stranger everything!" Tess yelled at Jack, "For all we know he could be Sylvania."

"I assure you I'm not, and to prove it, I am giving you this," Austin then handed over the book to Jack. The book was old, large, and had four main colors on it: orange, red, green, and blue. There was also a yellow keyhole.

"Dad," Erin spoke for the first time since their arrival, "How does this prove he's the Avatar?"

"I don't know; Father told me you lived here in this apartment and your name was Ja-." Interrupting Austin, the book became white and began to glow. Startled, Jack dropped the book and starred at it. Jack and Tess were at a loss for words, little did the two of them know, the Dark Army was on much closer than anyone could have imagined.

**A few closing notes. First, this is my first fanfiction on the Avatar series and it's basically a story telling of a world where benders got in the way of progress and had to be eliminated to stop the new progress involving the Dark Army. Also, this isn't OUR world that we live in per say... it's still the world of Avatar. There are still only animal hybrids and I've also deemed Asia and Europe to be modeled after the Avatar world's geography, and Africa is much smaller and is connected to Australia, which is deemed part of Africa in this series. This moves Africa out of the way from the original geography of the original series. Also, Avatar is the most popular fanfiction in the cartoon category, so I don't know if a story like this has been done before. Anyway, thank you for reading and review.**


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